top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

YouTuber challenges FIR, LoC in HC

Mumbai : The Bombay High Court issued notice to the state government on a petition filed by UK-based medico and YouTuber, Dr. Sangram Patil, seeking to quash a Mumbai Police FIR and revoking a Look Out Circular in a criminal case lodged against him, on Thursday.   Justice Ashwin D. Bhobe, who heard the matter with preliminary submissions from both sides, sought a response from the state government and posted the matter for Feb. 4.   Maharashtra Advocate-General Milind Sathe informed the court...

YouTuber challenges FIR, LoC in HC

Mumbai : The Bombay High Court issued notice to the state government on a petition filed by UK-based medico and YouTuber, Dr. Sangram Patil, seeking to quash a Mumbai Police FIR and revoking a Look Out Circular in a criminal case lodged against him, on Thursday.   Justice Ashwin D. Bhobe, who heard the matter with preliminary submissions from both sides, sought a response from the state government and posted the matter for Feb. 4.   Maharashtra Advocate-General Milind Sathe informed the court that the state would file its reply within a week in the matter.   Indian-origin Dr. Patil, hailing from Jalgaon, is facing a criminal case here for posting allegedly objectionable content involving Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on social media.   After his posts on a FB page, ‘Shehar Vikas Aghadi’, a Mumbai BJP media cell functionary lodged a criminal complaint following which the NM Joshi Marg Police registered a FIR (Dec. 18, 2025) and subsequently issued a LoC against Dr. Patil, restricting his travels.   The complainant Nikhil Bhamre filed the complaint in December 2025, contending that Dr. Patil on Dec. 14 posted offensive content intended to spread ‘disinformation and falsehoods’ about the BJP and its leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.   Among others, the police invoked BNSS Sec. 353(2) that attracts a 3-year jail term for publishing or circulating statements or rumours through electronic media with intent to promote enmity or hatred between communities.   Based on the FIR, Dr. Patil was detained and questioned for 15 hours when he arrived with his wife from London at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Jan. 10), and again prevented from returning to Manchester, UK on Jan. 19 in view of the ongoing investigations.   On Wednesday (Jan. 21) Dr. Patil recorded his statement before the Mumbai Police and now he has moved the high court. Besides seeking quashing of the FIR and the LoC, he has sought removal of his name from the database imposing restrictions on his international travels.   Through his Senior Advocate Sudeep Pasbola, the medico has sought interim relief in the form of a stay on further probe by Crime Branch-III and coercive action, restraint on filing any charge-sheet during the pendency of the petition and permission to go back to the UK.   Pasbola submitted to the court that Dr. Patil had voluntarily travelled from the UK to India and was unaware of the FIR when he landed here. Sathe argued that Patil had appeared in connection with other posts and was not fully cooperating with the investigators.

Mahila Raj' in Maharashtra

Women to helm 15 of 29 municipal corporations

Mumbai: In a historic shift for urban governance, Maharashtra is set for an unprecedented era of female leadership. Following the high-stakes mayoral reservation lottery conducted today at Mantralaya, it has been confirmed that 15 out of the 29 Municipal Corporations in the state—including the financial powerhouse of Mumbai—will be headed by women Mayors.


The lottery, presided over by Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, ensures that over half of Maharashtra’s largest urban bodies will be governed by women for the next 2.5 years term.


The highlight of the draw was the reservation of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a General Category Woman. This marks a significant moment for the BJP, which emerged as the largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats. With 49 women corporators currently in its ranks, the party is already narrowing down a list of veterans to lead the "ace city."


Similar "General Woman" reservations were drawn for other Tier-1 cities, creating a powerful block of female leadership across the state's economic engines – Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai and Thane (SC General, but high likelihood of female candidates).


The 50% reservation policy, combined with the luck of the draw, has distributed female leadership across various categories. Among the total 17 mayoral posts that went to general (open) category 9 went to women, while in case of OBCs 4 went out of total 8 to women. In the SC category, 2 out of 3 posts have gone to women.


BJP Prepares

City BJP Chief Ameet Satam confirmed that the internal democratic process to select Mumbai’s Mayor is moving swiftly. "The corporators will elect the leader of the house in a couple of days, after which the registration process will be completed. The city Mayor is likely to be elected next week," Satam told reporters.


With as many as 49 women corporators and many of them have already completed multiple terms, an intense lobbying for the top post is being seen within the BJP. Though more than half of the BJP woman corporators are first timers and a significant lot among senior corporators are non-Marathi, the real tough contest for the top post is among a handful of senior corporators. While a couple of senior turncoat corporators who switched sides just ahead of the corporation elections, are eyeing the top post, general mood within the party is in favour of choosing a party loyalist for the top post.


Opposition Uproar

The lottery was not without its share of political drama. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mayor Kishori Pednekar staged a walkout, alleging the lottery was "rigged" to favor the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The opposition argued that the BMC post should have rotated to an OBC or ST category, claiming that a new rule requiring at least three ST corporators to qualify for an ST reservation was a tactical manoeuvre to sideline opposition strength. MoS Misal, however, pointed out particular sections of the concerned rules and regulations that control the administration of Mumbai Municipal Corporation to justify the decision to not considering the ST category for lottery. The rule states that any category should be considered if there are more than 3 elected members from the category in the house, officials said.


The outcome is, by next week, the "First Citizens" of Maharashtra’s most vital cities will represent a new, women-led chapter in the state's political history.

Comments

bottom of page